BACKWARD GLANCES — Band plays Ramsey Park March not heard in decades

Wednesday

May 1, 2013 at 3:43 PMMay 1, 2013 at 3:45 PM

See what was happening in Redwood Falls 50, 25, and 10 years ago this week.

Joshua Dixon, Staff Writer

1963—50 years ago• Two lost boys turned up unharmed and curious at the fire house to find out why the siren had been blown, only to find out it had been blown to summon the firefighters to search for them.• Gardeners took their chances planting on May Day, given there was a chance for an early May snow storm.• The city council tested a new voting machine thats manufacturer claimed all the city’s votes could be tabulated within 15 seconds after the last vote was cast.• “Wonderland by Night” was the theme of the Redwood Falls High School prom, with the gymnasium decorated with a medieval style.• Northwestern Bell Telephone Company hosted a display showing phones of the future, including a push-button vest pocket model.

1988—25 years ago• “Moonlighting” was the theme of the Redwood Falls-Morton High School prom.• Members of the prom committee left the decoration up for an extra day so that the Association of Retarded Citizens (ARC) could hold a separate prom ceremony the next evening.• A recent Supreme Court ruling requiring 12-person juries for all cases could cost Redwood County up to an extra $75 for each civil case tried at the courthouse.• The school board had to scramble to adjust schedules when someone noticed that volleyball, basketball, and the high school musical were all scheduled to use the gym at the same time the following November.• Thirty-six local volunteers took part in the WalkAmerica program, raising $2,500 for the March of Dimes by walking through Ramsey Park.

2003—10 years ago• While visiting Reede Gray Elementary School, Minnesota author William Durbin demonstrated how to use a dying chicken to suck poison from a rattlesnake bite.• The Minnesota Association of Childrens Mental Health sponsored a poster contest.With over 530 entrants from all over the state, no one expected the top three winners — Ahnna Hartfiel, Ethan Bernhardson, and Jessica Fischer — would all be from Redwood Falls.• The Minnesota River Valley was officially designated a National Byway.• The concert piece “The Ramsey Park March”, written by former Redwood Falls High School music teacher George Bittrich in 1919, was performed at the current band’s spring concert — the first time it had been played in decades.• Butch Jensen was thrilled when he stumbled across several boxes of old 8-track tapes during garage sale weekend.